The neighbors were not happy about my choice of yard art . . .
They’d rather see it carted off to an isolated reservation, so that every time they leave their homes, they aren’t reminded of how they and their fathers decimated a people, even down to our name. We are not Chippewa. Chippewa came from their foolish vernacular, created with uncultured tongues because they couldn’t form their mouths around our verb-heavy, Anishinaabemowin language.
Mrs. Thompson worried my statues would frighten her children at the bus stop, so I sent them beautifully beaded moccasins to dance in while they waited for the school bus to take them to a building where they’ll be taught to call me a savage.
“What is this supposed to mean?” Mrs. Ringrose asked, and I inscribed my history onto birch bark scrolls and posted them on her front door the next morning.
I doubt she will read it. They are all too comfortable in their ignorance.
word count: 147
—Nortina
This is in response to Mondays Finish the Story: a flash fiction challenge where we provide you with a new photo each week, and the first sentence of a story. Your challenge is to finish the story using 100-150 words, not including the sentence provided.
Click the froggy icon to read other stories and add your own.
Excellent Nortina! I loved the whole story and the ending was superb!
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Ignorance is never bliss, and so many continue to repeat the untrue history.
A great story and a tale worth writing about!
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Wonderful response full of empathy for the subjects of the statues ~ A very powerful statement Nortina ~ 🙂
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Great story – I hope the misunderstandings don’t continue in their ignorance.
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This is an excellent story Nortina, you have such a powerful message too, ignorance if far from bliss I think….
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This is fantastic, Nortina. The moccasins and the birch bark rolls are a brilliant touch. Great job!
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Beautifully written and a story worth telling.
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Awesome
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Another amazing story! I love the part where she says Chippewa is not the real name! 🙂 Thanks again Nortina for writing for the Mondays challenge…be well and I will see you next week! ^..^
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